Fourth time's the charm
by AgentOfShip
Summary: Four times Leopold Fitz saw Jemma Simmons in her underwear and how it impacted their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**So I had this idea for a while and finally gotten to write the first chapter. Like the title suggests, there will be four chapters but I really can't say when I'll have the time to post the second one, hopefully sometime during the next two weeks and then the others should follow much quicker. Anyway, hope you'll enjoy :)**

 _The first time, it was all Milton's fault and they both agreed that it was the only useful thing he ever did._

-0-0-0-

"That's weird" Fitz mumbled under his breath as he opened the door to the small dorm room that would be his at SHIELD Academy for the next three years or so. Not because it was open -he forgot to lock it half the time anyway- but because even before it was fully open, he could see that that the lamp on his bedside table was on and he could have sworn it was off when he left, especially since it had been 3 PM at the time and really quite bright out.

"Hey! How was your-OH MY GOD!"

"OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I'm so sorry!" Fitz cried out as he turned around and towards the door immediately. Well almost immediately. The girl on his bed, in her underwear (or maybe it was lingerie, he'd never been quite sure when something stopped being underwear and became naughty enough to deserve a french name for it) probably explained why the light was on and him being sixteen, his first instinctive reaction was to widen his eyes and gasp helplessly before his brain reminded him of her reaction that clearly wasn't one that meant "please look at me and take the time to get a very detailed and accurate mental image of me". Of course it was a bit too late for that because he'd already noticed the police box pattern on it and he'd never see the TARDIS the same way ever again.

The whole thing also probably meant that he wasn't the only one leaving his door open because it really didn't make any sense to have an almost naked girl in his bedroom. Hopefully when that happens, he'll know about it beforehand and have time to be prepared for it or at least she wouldn't react that way when he comes in.

"What are you doing here?" The girl shrieked and he thought her voice and pretty English accent was vaguely familiar.

"I'm really sorry! I was lost in thought and all these hallways and doors look the same and the door was open and I was positive I saw the right number on the door but I guess I …" He trailed off.

Wait. Now that he thought about it, he did see the right number on the door. And that was also his picture of space on the wall and his miniature TARDIS on his desk where he could also see the schematics he'd been working on that morning which meant that …

"Hey wait! What are _you_ doing here? That's _my_ room!" He cried out, feeling a little silly shouting at the door like that.

"What? No that's Milton's room! I know it is because he told me he loved Doctor Who and there's a TARDIS on his desk." She replied sounding properly scandalized that he would suggest he was in his own room and Fitz rolled his eyes. His first time having a girl in his room and she was waiting for someone else. Milton of all people.

"No that's my desk, that's my TARDIS that my mum gave to me when I left Scotland and that's my room. This is 406 and Milton's across the hall in 405."

"Oh … " She simply let out.

"I bet Milton doesn't even know what a TARDIS is. Probably thinks it's a blue phone box or something …" Fitz mumbled under his breath.

"But he hum … he wrote his room number down for me and it says 406 … see!" She said.

Obviously, she meant for him to look at what she was handing him but with his back to her he could only try to reach blindly, his arm at an awkward angle, and he thought he heard her muffle a slight giggle.

"It's alright, you can turn around" She said, her voice a bit more relaxed than it'd been a moment ago.

"Okay but are you-hum … are you … decent?" He asked, cringing at how old school that sounded.

He heard the rustling of fabric for a few seconds before she cleared her throat. "Yeah, yeah I'm under the covers now." She said and he wasn't quite sure it would help much with the blushing but, well, at least there wouldn't be so much (pretty, pale and freckled) skin on display.

Fitz slowly turned around, waiting for the last moment to look up at her face.

"Oh" He simply let out. That was why her voice and accent were familiar. It was actually Jemma Simmons looking rather cosy, although a bit flushed, under the covers in his bed. They shared quite a lot of classes and it hadn't taken him long to remember her name. On top of being the only other cadet as young as he was, she was rather brilliant and kept raising her hand to answer the professor's question, which made them repeat her name quite often, their tone varying from friendly to impressed to slightly annoyed. For their defense, she had a bit of a Hermione-know-it-all side to her but she was actually right 99 percents of the time. Also, always seeing her from afar and never lingering in the classrooms a lot, he'd never had a chance to give a good look at her and realize how young she really looked, even with that outrageous shade of red lipstick she was wearing, and how pretty she was.

"See!" She insisted as she gave him the piece of paper, apparently not recognizing him the same way he did her or at least, apparently not caring about it.

He took it and saw that there were just a few words scribbled there along with what in fact looked like "room 406". Shrugging, he looked bah up at her.

"Well I don't know what to say but this is MY room, there should be a copy of "The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" somewhere around you like under my pillow or something, if you need proof!"

"Oh. Oh yeah it's right here" She said, her face brightening up for some reason as she pulled the book out from under the covers with one hand while making sure the sheets wouldn't slip down with the other. "I've been reading it earlier, I got … bored waiting for Milton …" She finished sheepishly. Honestly he was surprised she didn't get bored when he was actually there. "But then what does it mean? Why would he give me your room number?" She pleaded, more to herself than to him it seemed but he still felt obligated to answer. Like he somehow wronged her by having that room number.

"I don't know!" He shrieked. "Maybe it's some kind of prank he's playing on us, wouldn't put it past him. Did he know you were supposed to come tonight and hu … you know …" Fitz trailed off, starting to blush and hoping she would understand his meaning and wouldn't make him say it.

"What? No! No he didn't" She cried out. "It's just ... he was supposed to be working late at the library and we've been dating for a few weeks now and he keeps saying I don't know how to be spontaneous so I wanted to show him up and I thought that tonight we could … hum … we could have hu … for the first time … Oh my god, this is so embarrassing, I can't believe he would do something like that …"

Her lower lip was wobbling slightly and he could see that she was holding back tears as she looked away from him taking her head in her hands and the sight tugged at his heartstrings. She always sounded so confident in everything she said or did when she was in class that it broke his heart seeing her like that. So distraught and vulnerable, looking much more like a little girl, all buried under the covers, and a lot less like the sexy, bold and confident young woman she seemed to be only a moment ago. And that's how he found himself tentatively seating at the end of the bed, lightly rubbing her leg through the covers to get her attention.

"Hey hey hey I'm sorry I just say things like that sometimes, I tend to think the worst of people. Maybe he just wrote it wrong, look …" He said after giving the piece of paper another look and handing it back to her. "He's got a pretty shitty handwriting, that six could easily be a five."

"You think?" She asked, her voice small and hopeful.

"Sure! Honest mistake ... most likely …" He replied and she gave him a small smile he had no choice but to reciprocate. It was a nice smile, pretty and soft, that easily reached her eyes. He'd always found her so impressive from afar that he never thought he'd be able to talk to her properly without looking or sounding like an idiot and then here she was, trusting a total stranger when she had all the reasons to feel vulnerable and be a little defensive.

"Well I hum … I should go … Won't bother you any longer." She said with another sheepish smile.

"Oh no you didn't hum … you didn't bother me … I mean you surprised me obviously but it wasn't so bad …" He stuttered but then saw the way her eyebrows raised and realized how she might have interpreted what he just said. "Wait I don't mean it like that, I'm not saying that because I saw your … hum you know …" He corrected himself vaguely gesturing towards her bra clad breasts hidden under the covers and she was obviously biting her lower lip not to laugh but he was too far gone anyway. "That wasn't the good part, it's just nice to speak to hum … wait no, not that I mean that they're not nice your … hum you know. I didn't mean to look but I did see and … oh god kill me please!"

If he closed his eyes long enough, was there a chance that she could just get dressed and leave and she'd be embarrassed enough herself to not ever talk about it to anyone ever?

"I will do no such thing!" She declared with no small dose of mirth in her voice. "Come on Fitz it's alright!" She added, nudging his thigh with her foot through the covers to make him look up. "You're a young man, still in his teens if I'm not mistaking, and you find a girl half naked on your bed, I would actually be a little offended if you didn't even take a quick look before turning around like the gentleman that you obviously are."

"Oh okay …" He let out sheepishly. "But that's still not what I …"

"Yeah I know Fitz really, don't worry …" She cut him off with another one of those soft smiles.

"Okay … alright then …" He replied and only then realized how she'd called him. "Wait … you know who I am?" He asked, incredulous.

"Of course I know! Well I didn't recognize you at first because you're always way in the back in class but I definitely recognized your voice and your accent … you should speak up more often you know, you're brilliant …"

"Ah no I'm not … you're-you don't … ah …" He stuttered, blushing furiously under the praise of who was probably the smartest person he's ever had the chance to talk to and she smiled again. That situation clearly wasn't the way he thought he'd get to talk to her and he didn't feel so brilliant at the moment but he was making her smile so that was something, he supposed.

"And I'm Jem …"

"Dr Jemma Simmons, yeah I know … hard to forget that one the way professor Vaughn insists on it …" He grinned.

"Yeah I don't think he likes me much, I guess i've acted a little first-years-Hermione …" She grinned back and Fitz chuckled at her admission.

"No you don't you just …" He started and she raised her eyebrows. "Okay maybe. A bit. But you're always right anyway so …"

They remained silent for a moment, sharing a slightly shy but sincere smile as Fitz racked her brains to find something to say, anything to keep the conversation going but she beat him to it.

"Hu Fitz … this is a really comfy bed and all but I'd like to get dressed now"

"Oh sure of course go ahead …" He replied but she only looked increasingly uncomfortable for some reason.

"Hu Fitz?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind turning around?" She asked with a tentative smile.

"Oh god no! I mean no of course I don't mind!" He cried out, standing up and walking towards the door. "So sorry … do you hum … do you want me to wait outside?" He asked, his hand already on the door handled and she giggled again.

"No Fitz don't be ridiculous, I'm not going to kick you out of your own room, just turn around I'll only be a minute."

"Oh okay …"

After that, he heard the rustle of fabric again as she got out of bed and then light steps on the ground as she went to retrieve her clothes. As he heard more noises from the rustle of fabric and zippers, he tried to stop his treacherous adolescent brain and almost photographic memory from conjuring images of her nice hips slipping into her jeans or blue doctor who bra clad breasts getting covered by whatever she'd be wearing on top. Fortunately, she was true to her words and got dressed rather quickly and when she told him he could turn back around, she was sitting on the bed, doing the laces of her red converse and he was hit by a wave of affection. Here she was, a girl who came in to what she thought was her boyfriend's room, well decided to have sex and wearing red lipstick and (at least in his opinion) sexy underwear but also wearing red converse and most importantly the biggest, fluffiest, least sexy looking sweater he's ever seen.

That's when he knew with a confusing certainty that he wanted to keep her in his life for as long as she'd be willing to stay. And that's also when he knew he had to tell her everything. She might tell him to fuck off or that it wasn't any of his business but from the way she'd said it earlier and the fact that, like him, she was only sixteen, he suspected that she didn't only mean her first time with Milton but her first time, period. And even though he wasn't naive enough to think her first time would be magical anyway, he thought it should be with someone who deserved and truly cared about her. And at the very least she needed to have all the informations before taking her decision.

"Hu Jemma?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"Listen hum … feel free to tell me to mind my own business but I … whatever you were planning to do with Milton, I think you should hum maybe … reconsider … he's not I-I think ... he doesn't deserve you …"

"What?" She replied, her voice small as she looked up at him, confusion evident on her face. "But you don't even know me and …"

"I know you're brilliant and that you seem like a nice decent person at least but mostly I know Milton … well I don't know him that much but I live across the hall from him and I know he's not always alone and I hu … I'm pretty sure he was at The Boiler Room earlier, not at the library so …"

Her face was falling again and he felt terrible for being responsible for it but he knew it was better to break her heart now than to let her get more serious with Milton and have her heart broken in a million more pieces later.

"But … but he said he liked me a lot and wanted things to get to … to ... " She started, her voice shaky as she tried once more to control her emotions.

"Hey wait …" Fitz said, sitting next to her and placing a tentative hand on her shoulder and rubbing it in what he hoped was a soothing way. "I'm not saying he's cheating on you, I don't know what's happening in his room and I think he was only with his mates at The Boiler Room. I just thought you needed to have all the facts to take your decision."

"Oh …" She simply said, sniffling and looking down at her lap and he felt a wave of guilt as well as one of anger towards Milton. That was no way to treat someone, especially someone as exceptional as she was.

"I'm sorry Jemma, maybe I shouldn't have said anything, I just thought …"

"No Fitz you're right!" She cut him off, finally turning around to look at him. "I should talk to him before well … I should just talk to him and huh yeah …"

"Alright …" He said, giving her shoulder one last squeeze before taking his hand off.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom to wash up a bit before leaving?" She asked shyly as she stood up. "My mascara must have run down and I probably look like a trollop now, I can't go out like … WHAT?" She squeaked indignantly when she noticed the growing smirk on his face.

"Nothing just … I've never heard anyone use that word except my grandma." He grinned and she rolled her eyes but he could see she was fighting a smile. "And I don't think like you look like a trollop at all but of course you can use the bathroom."

"Thank you!" She said, smiling and playfully bumped her shoulder against his as she passed by.

"So … you're a Doctor Who fan as well?" He asked with a small grin through the door to his small bathroom.

"Oh yeah I've been a fan since I was six and … wait how do you know … FITZ!" She cried out in outrage, finally realizing how he'd come to that conclusion.

"Sorry …" He said, his tone and smirk contradicting his words. "Couldn't help noticing, I've always been very observing on top of being … you know … a sixteen years old male."

"A pretty nerdy one though …" She said as she opened the door looking as fresh as a daisy and glaring rather unconvincingly at him.

"Exactly! So really you cannot blame me for noticing …"

"Yeah I guess I can't ..." She replied shaking her head and letting go of the glaring to smile at him once more. "How do I look?"

"Perfect!" He answered without thinking and blushed when he realized maybe she just wanted him to tell her if she still had traces of make-up or anything. But it was true though. She had this perfect kind of dewey freckled skin, which was really unfair on someone who was sixteen and should have had at least a bit of acne, and her smile and eyes were so bright that it was hard to find another word to describe her. Fortunately, she didn't seem to mind because she seemed to hesitate for a moment but then she pushed up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you Fitz! For telling me and for being so sweet and hu … you know ... not throwing out the door like the crazy woman I must have looked to you" She said with a roll of her eyes.

"You're welcome, feel free to come by anytime, just knock the next time and maybe ... have pity on me and put a shirt on!" He grinned and she lightly swatted him the arm before walking to the door with one last wave of her hand.

As he closed the door behind her, he made the silent wish that this wouldn't be the last time she walked out his door and the last conversation he would have with her. There were so many things he'd wanted to say to her since their first class together, Milton of all topics couldn't be the only thing they ever talked about.

At least, he knew he'd done the right thing in telling her about her stupid hopefully soon to be ex-boyfriend. He'd gained her trust and that felt like a nice start for friendship.

-0-0-0-

The next evening, as Fitz was sitting in front of his desk with no other prospect than trying to make sense of the notes he'd taken in professor Vaughn's class three days ago and study for the test, he heard voices in the hallway. Which wasn't really surprising, it was around dinner time so most students were meeting someone else to go to the cafeteria. What caught Fitz's attention was the very distinguishable English accent that could only be Jemma's. Knowing it was bad to eavesdrop but still too curious to care, he tried to hear what she was saying but couldn't really understand much except that she sounded surprisingly calm. Then there was another deeper and extremely dull voice who he supposed was Milton's and then the door closed and he couldn't hear a thing anymore. Well, hopefully he'd see her in class in the next few days and she would hopefully be alone and then he could ask her about how things went with Milton.

But ten minutes later, as Fitz had just barely managed to start focusing on his latest SHIELD history lesson, there was a knock on his door. It was so soft that he wondered if it wasn't just someone passing by and bumping against it but it was followed almost immediately by another, less tentative knock. So he stood up and went to open the door, actually quite pleased with the distraction.

"Hi Fitz!" Jemma said with a beaming grin that he just had to reciprocate.

"Hey! Long time no see …" He said and she chuckled. It was strange how he'd spent three months watching her from afar, racking his brains to find a way to strike up a conversation with the only cadet who might be smarter than he was and now, after (probably) a simple case of bad handwriting, it felt like talking to her was the easiest thing in the world. Because she was just as impressive as he thought she was but she was also sweet and funny and apparently quite as awkward as he could be and he loved that about her.

"So hum …" She started. "I still felt bad about kind of breaking into your room last night …"

"Oh no, 's my fault I shouldn't leave the door open …"

"… and you've been so nice that I wanted to do something nice too" She continued, pretty much ignoring his protestation. "So hu ... I got this care package from my mum in the mail this morning and I thought you might be interested in sharing some of those nice traditional British junk food with me …"

"Oh!" Fitz simply let out, his eyes lighting up at the prospect. He'd been craving Maltesers for weeks now and his next care package wasn't due to arrive for at least another two weeks. He knew he should ration them to make them last until the next one. And that was what he'd planned on doing until he got caught up in a Doctor Who marathon and it all just ... disappeared.

"Can I come in?" Jemma asked, rightfully taking his reaction for a positive answer to her proposition of food sharing.

"Oh yeah yeah of course …" He said, opening the door wider and moving to the side to let her in, glad that his room still hadn't had the time to turn back into the chaos it usually was, since the last time he'd had the courage to tidy up and clean it.

She stepped in and sat on the edge of his bed without much of an hesitation, which had him grinning slightly. His life at the Academy was going to get even more interesting than he thought it would be if Jemma Simmons made it a habit of being on his bed or even just in his room really.

"Also I hum ... I hum ..." She hesitated, hugging a small pillow to her chest. He never saw the use of having more than the one pillow he slept on (it wasn't like he was going to have company during the night anytime soon) but his mum insisted that it made the place more welcoming. And up until now, that hadn't been a compelling argument to him because he didn't want most people to feel welcome. But if it made HER feel more at ease, then he could definitely live with it.

"I also wanted to thank you for warning me about Milton ..." She said with a sad smile. "... saved me from doing something I might have regretted ..." She added, letting out an awkward little laugh.

She was trying to keep a straight face, to look strong and like it wasn't really important but he could read through her easily. Being so much younger than anyone else here, she couldn't show her weaknesses or she'd be called out for being immature. He knew what it was like, it was the same for him. And he knew it was mostly jealousy but it didn't make things easier.

"Oh" He let out, sitting down on his desk chair as he realized he was still awkwardly standing up in the middle of the room. "I'm sorry he wasn't who you expected him to be though ... " He added and she smiled more softly. "So did you ..."

"Yeah I broke up with him. Not that we were ever really a couple apparently. Since we didn't talk about being exclusive." She said, rolling her eyes and air quoting the last word. "... and that we weren't that serious anyway ..."

"Asshole!" Fitz let out, the words escaping him before he could think them through and Jemma chuckled.

"Yeah ... Well at least, last night's incident was only caused by his terrible handwriting and he did say that we could be exclusive now if I was ready to commit ... if you know what I mean ..." She said air quoting the words commit again and Fitz felt his cheeks heat up. He never had many occasions in his life to talk about sex, even using euphemisms, and of all the things he ever thought he could talk about with Jemma Simmons, this was not one of them.

"So I told him he should be exclusive with himself ..." She continued seemingly unaware of Fitz's slight discomfort. "... which was meant as a way to say that no one else would be able to tolerate him anyway but now that I think of it, it sounds more masturbatory than anything else but I suppose it's quite fitting since ... oh ..." She finally interrupted herself, seeing the interesting shade of red Fitz must have taken. "I'm sorry Fitz I've made you uncomfortable ..."

"No no it's alright it's just ..."

"I always say whatever crosses my mind and then I make people uncomfortable. I should probably stop that, Milton said that made me a little weird but ..."

"No! You don't have to change the way you are. Whatever you say is probably more interesting than 99 percents of what other people say all the time anyway, especially Milton who probably never had a single original idea in his life and whose huge cabbage head is filled with sawdust."

Jemma was looking at him with a chocked expression and he realized that it might have been too big a compliment and much too early ex bashing for someone he actually knew so little.

"What I meant is that hum ... I don't hum ... It's been nice talking to you and hu you shouldn't. .."

"Fitz!" She cut him off, letting the cushion fall as she stood up, then picking it up and neatly putting it back on the bed. "That's the nicest thing anyone who barely knows me ever said to me!" She said, almost cooing and Fitz chuckled, feeling relieved and a little embarrassed at the same time. "And it's more of a brussels sprout really but yeah ..." She added, rolling her eyes in ascertion of what Fitz just said.

"Well I do know you a bit" He protested "I know you're really smart and kind of bold. Obviously very generous too. It's not every cadet who would share their care package like that ..."

She grinned at that, eyeing the precious treasure she'd deposited on his desk and that looked heavy with plenty of sugary goodness. Fitz grinned as well as he said the next words.

"Not to mention you have excellent taste in underwear ... uh I mean TV shows ..."

"Fitz!" She cried out, swatting his arm. "If we should become friends, you're going to have to stop mentionning this! Don't forget I'm a biochem genius and I know of at least ten deadly toxines that would be indetectable at your autopsy ..." She added, obviously going for menacing but the fact that she was hugging his pillow again and slightly pouting kind of ruined it.

"Alright I promise I'll never mention this again ... friend ..." He replied with a tentative smile and she squinted her eyes at him for a moment before smiling brightly when his innocent expression had convinced her.

Turned out he never really stopped teasing her about it but she didn't mind because that night, as they stuffed their faces with chocolate and spent hours talking about everything from their lonely childhood as young prodigies to their favorite doctor or all the other people in their class Fitz thought didn't deserve his or Jemma's attention (most of them apparently), was when their friendship started. And with time Jemma found plenty of topics on which to tease him endlessly, like his own terrible first girlfriend. But whatever the amount of teasing they put each other through, their friendship was bon out of trust, admiration and fondness and that was what would always shine through every one of their interactions.


	2. Chapter 2

**This one took much longer than anticipated but I'm finally done, yay ! Thanks again to everyone who left comments and likes and kuddos and I hope you'll like this new chapter just as much :-D**

 _The second time, they both ended up in less than their underwear but it was definitely not how all of their colleagues thought it would happen._

-0-0-0-

"Simmons!" Fitz shouted as he entered the lab, his eyes fixated on the document he was holding in his left hand while pushing the doors with the other.

Finally, after weeks of testing and re-testing and then waiting for the higher ups to approve it and then re-testing again, he'd just received a note saying that his mouse hole had finally been approved and sent to production, and by Nick Fury himself nonetheless! Just the previous night, as they had dinner in the flat they shared since they graduated from the Academy and were stationed at Sci-Ops, they'd both been ranting about how even the tiniest request took forever to go through the chains of command and back to them. So he couldn't wait to tell Jemma about it. With Nick Fury's seal of approval, maybe they'd be taken more seriously and finally get the go ahead for the dwarves and the night night gun (who would definitely be called that despite what Jemma was saying about it being ridiculous and unprofessional).

And that was why, in his excitement, as he checked one more time if it really was Nick Fury's name he could read at the bottom of the page, he didn't realize Jemma wasn't sitting at her own desk as usual but in fact just in front of the centrifuge and about to deposit a small vial of a vaguely green substance. He crashed into her hard, making her lose balance for a moment and as a reflex he grabbed her arm to make sure she didn't trip and fall.

She didn't. The vial did. It exploded on the desk, a few drops of the substance getting on both their hands.

"Oh bloody hell!" He cried out, a little breathless from the scare she'd given him.

"Oh Fitz no ..."

She looked properly horrified and that's when he noticed the vial.

"Oh no I'm so sorry!" He repeated, looking down and feeling a little dumb staying there not moving, but Simmons wasn't moving either, which was strange since, just like him, she was always adamant about the cleanliness of the lab they shared. "Is that a new batch of the dendrotoxine? Did you do something to it? I don't remember it being so green...ish."

They'd been working on this for weeks and if this was a new version, he hoped it wasn't the only sample or he'd feel terrible about it.

"No Fitz ..."

"Weird, I was pretty sure it was perfectly clear the last time ..."

"FITZ NO!" She cut him off, her voice getting alarmingly shrill.

"Jemma what's wrong? don't tell me you don't have another ..."

And then another look replaced the one of horror on her face. It was one of terrible fear that chilled Fitz to the bone. They'd been friends for five years now, best friends even, so of course he'd already seen her getting scared. Like when she thought she messed up on an exam (she never did) or when it took an hour to convince her to go and have beers at the boiler room because she was scared of breaking the rules. But it was always about small things, Jemma was actually pretty fearless about life in general and he'd never seen her this terrified. She was the one who convinced him to apply for a field team and to go bungee jump to celebrate their graduation, once she checked every piece of equipment herself of course. But he'd never seen that look on her face and she didn't actually answer his question, instead grabbing his arm and leading them towards the back of the lab.

"Jemma!" He cried out, trying to break free of her hold or at least stop her, but she actually had quite a lot of strength for someone so tiny.

"No time to explain, come with me!" She said, not bothering to look back at him as she stopped in front of the door to the decontamination shower and before he had the time to protest, she'd pushed the red button next to it and all hell broke loose. The alarm started blaring, making it impossible for him to hear whatever she might say, red lights were flashing everywhere and he could hear all doors around their lab closing and locking, the sound definitely more grim than annoying as it was every time they repeated the procedure SHIELD had made mandatory at least three times a year.

"Fitz!" She cried out almost directly into his ear. "That was not the dendrotoxine!"

Well that part was obvious by now and he would have rolled his eyes if panic hadn't started to settle.

"The substance was found on five different persons who died in a matter of hours, most likely from a very potent toxin ..."

"WHAT? But how does it work? Is it airborne or does it have to ..."

"I don't know Fitz!" She cut him off. "I don't know … I was just going to analyze it but it's too late, now take off your clothes and get in!" She cried out opening the doors to the decontamination shower as she toed off her shoes and pulled her cardigan over her head at the same time. He had the fleeting thought that she was really quick and efficient in taking her clothes off and he wondered if she'd actually went through the whole procedure during SHIELD drills before his mind drifted to other scenarios where she'd need to take her clothes off fast, making him blush before he forced his brain to go back to the matter at end. The life and death matter nonetheless.

"Hu ... no ... you go first ... I'll wait ..."

"Ugh Fitz!" She said, halfway through taking her shirt off, her trousers already unbuttoned and he tried to focus on her beautiful but less distracting face, where annoyance replaced panic for a moment. "There's no time for that, it might already be too late and if a simple contact is enough to ..." She stopped for a moment, her eyes wide and terrified and it was a look he'd never forget for the rest of his life. "I think I'll have other concerns than look at your naked body while I SCRUB A POTENTIALLY LETHAL TOXIN OFF MY OWN SKIN FITZ" She cried out angrily and he felt slightly vexed for a moment that she didn't consider his naked form to be of at least a tiny bit of interest. Not that it was the main reason he didn't feel comfortable being naked in the same room as his beautiful female best friend and he knew it was ridiculous and petty and that she was right but he just couldn't stop his brain from going there. But then her voice broke and her tone became pleading as her head tilted to the side.

"Please Fitz ... you haven't seen the state of those bodies ..."

She was down to her plain cotton bra and knickers at this point but all Fitz could see was the tenderness in her eyes behind all the fear and anger and he finally understood how deeply she feared that they might both be contaminated and a surge of affection washed over him at the same time panic finally set in completely once he realized the seriousness of the situation. For a moment, everything except Jemma disappeared, the blaring alarm and flashing red lights were gone and he could only nod as he started pulling at his tie and toed off his sneakers.

The next few minutes were a blur. Jemma was right of course, with the powerful jets of the decontamination shower making it feel like he was in the middle of a storm, they were both too occupied making sure they were completely scrubbed clean (which was quite the understatement because really, Fitz thought it might have taken off a full layer of skin from his back) to care about seeing one another naked. Fitz only had the fleeting thought that with all their colleagues suggesting there was more than friendship between them, it probably wasn't how they imagined they would end up naked in the same room. Once they were out of the shower, they grabbed the hospital scrubs at their disposal and quickly got dressed facing away from each other to have a modicum of intimacy. The things were already too big and the trousers slightly too long for Fitz but on Jemma, it looked like a little girl wearing her mom's clothes. With her hair wet and her face scrubbed clean of all make-up, she looked several years younger and Fitz had a flash of how vulnerable she'd looked the day they met. And it was just unimaginable that something bad could happen to the sweet girl he'd met that day under such peculiar circumstances, the girl that was the most wonderful, perfect human being he's ever met and the worst was that, right now, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

And then, they waited.

With nothing better to do in the sterile quarantine room, Fitz slid against the wall to sit on the ground and Jemma followed only a moment later. She was looking down at her lap, trying to look calm with that fake smile plastered on her face. She did it so often that he didn't think she realized she did it most of the time. She always tried to hide her feelings whenever she was scared or stressed out or sad and with time, it was getting rather convincing to everyone else. But she could never fool him, he knew her better than he knew anyone else. Almost as a reflex, he reached out for her hand but she stopped him before he could, jerking away from him and settling back a little further away.

"Sorry ..." She said, seeing his eyebrows frown in confusion. "Even with the decontamination shower, if one us is ... we should avoid touching ..."

"Oh ... of course yeah ... sorry ..." He replied, fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt. He always had something in his pockets to tinker with to help him think when he was stuck on something or stressed out. But that room was terribly empty, all white and too bright with nothing but two benches for them to sit or lie down and the too constricting walls only sending his own terrifying thoughts back at him.

"So hum ..." He started, conflicted between wanting to know what this was all about and too scared to ask. "What ... what was that thing in the vial Jemma?"

"We don't know much yet" She said with that same, theoretically reassuring, smile. "It was found on the bodies of five people who died in the past three days and they all experienced the same symptoms before they died of massive blood loss ..."

"Massive blood loss? So what? Did they get stabbed or have internal damages or something? That doesn't sound all so mysterious ..."

"No Fitz … from what the police gathered from the witnesses, it started with a massive headache, then they started feeling really weak and then they just bled out through their mouth and nose and … but it was internal as well so whatever this thing is, it's … very potent. But the decontamination team will be here any moment now, they'll finish the analysis and determine if that substance is the cause of death and even if it is, it probably has to be ingested so we're most likely safe and anyway the symptoms developed very quickly so …"

"JEMMA!" He cut her off. He could see she was trying to be reassuring but describing the awful things that would happen to them if the toxin entered their blodstream wasn't helping anyway. But mostly he could see how wide her eyes were despite the fake casual tone she was affecting. She was just as scared as he was and it was all his fault.

"I'm so sorry Jemma …" He croaked, hating how shaky his voice was. "I shouldn't have barged in there like I did, that was completely unprofessional and …"

"No no no Fitz! That's my fault, I should have put up a sign on the door but they insisted so much on the urgency of the situation that I …"

"No Jemma it's me, I mean it's a lab, I should always assume that you're-you're …" His hands were flying around him and he couldn't help the shakiness out of his voice. "You're always in danger and I-I don't know what …"

"Fitz …" She breathed out. He could barely hear her voice but there was something in it that took his breath away. There was a desperation in it but also something incredibly tender that, even though he's heard it so rarely, he could recognize it immediately because that was how he felt whenever he saw or talked to her or even thought about her most of the time.

He turned around and met her eyes and he couldn't help the weak but sincere smile that spread across his face.

"We're going to be alright Fitz …" She added, looking down between them and then she let her hand slide on the ground until it was just an inch away from his and then she looked back up at him. And even though he knew she couldn't be sure of anything and they might still be in terrible danger, it made him feel a little bit better.

-0-0-0-

An hour later, the decontamination team had come and gone and there was really nothing much left to do but wait. They'd cleaned the lab wearing pretty scary hazmat suits, took back a sample of the potentially deadly substance and one of Fitz and Simmon's blood and left with only the assurance that they would be informed of any new development, good or bad.

Jemma insisted that the symptoms had evolved very quickly on the victims and that it also most likely meant that it didn't take long for the toxin to start working, which meant that the more time passed without them feeling anything out of the ordinary, the better their chances were of being healthy and safe. But that didn't stop him from being restless and that didn't make the knot in his stomach disappear. More than anything, he couldn't stand to do nothing, to stay here waiting and counting the minutes in his head while other -less qualified- people were working on something that might mean life or death for Jemma and himself.

"So …" Jemma said loud enough to get him out of his head for a moment. "That's a cute birthmark you have there …" She added with a smile she tried to pass as innocent.

"What are you … JEMMA!" He cried out in outrage. "What about having other concerns than looking at my naked body?" He added, crossing his arms over his chest petulantly.

"I said I wouldn't look but it's not like I could not see what was right in front of me Fitz and …" She was grinning widely now.

"You still had to look down to see it …"

"… I didn't see anything else and it's nothing to be ashamed of anyway, it's really cute and well formed with a nice symmetry to it … talking about the birthmark of course …" She corrected herself with an even wider grin when she saw how his eyebrows had raised to his hairline. "… and it gives your butt character …"

"Wow, my butt has character? That has to be the worst compliment anyone's ever paid me!" He said throwing his arms in the air and she rolled her eyes. "I think I have enough character for myself, my butt can have other qualities, thank you very much!"

Oh he knew what she was doing. She was trying to distract him with something that would bother him enough so he wouldn't think about their possible imminent death. And the worst was that it was working because he could only think about his bloody birthmark and how his butt compared to those of the extra muscular guys she'd always dated even though that was completely irrelevant because his butt shouldn't be of any interest to her. And oh god now he was thinking about hers and the … other bits he saw of her. Now that they weren't in a rush, his treacherous mind did a nice job of bringing back, with plenty details, all the glimpses he had of her in the decontamination shower even though he was really doing his best not to look.

"I know and I love your character … most of the time anyway. But didn't you hear what I just said before?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, frowning in confusion and she rolled her eyes fondly.

"But I thought you were talking about my birthmark …"

"Oh Fitz …" She said, grinning and it was his time to roll his eyes at her.

"Well I'm very disappointed in you Simmons" He declared, flopping back against the wall. He hated that he'd taken on the habit of calling her Simmons at work. But since they he couldn't get himself to call her agent, they both decided that using their last names would make them look older and more professional. And he was only now realizing he'd been calling her Jemma for the past few hours but it's not like it was a normal situation.

"What? You're the one who pointed out I'd be seeing you naked, I didn't even think about it at first!"

"Oh no it's not that." He grinned as he turned around slightly to look at her. Two could play at that game.

"What then?"

"I'm just very disappointed in your choice of underwear. It's become extremely boring, it used to have a lot more … character …" He said, grinning even wider. Of course, what he'd really noticed first was that, however plain those underwear were, she was also filling them significantly more than when she was sixteen. But he was definitely not going to tell her that because even if he saw it as a compliment, it would only seem creepy and would make them both uncomfortable. Most likely him more than her. Actually she might even appreciate the compliment and launch herself into a speech where she explained how the female body continues to change and grow between sixteen and twenty and that whatever reaction he might have to it would be perfectly natural and bla bla bla. And he'd end up red to the tip of his ears and she would be delighted. There really was no winning with her. At least not on those matters.

"Fiiiiitz!" She whined in that tone he knew so well because she used it every time he mentioned that day.

"Sorry … sorry, that was the last time … promise!" He said with a grin she also perfectly knew the meaning of.

"You're the worst Fitz!"

-0-0-0-

"That was my favorite tie you know" Fitz sighed, breaking the silence that had settled between them for the last few minutes.

"What?"

"They're going to destroy our clothes right?"

"Yeah that's the protocol Fitz"

"That tie I was wearing today, it's the one you gave me when we were stationed at sci-ops together. I love those monkeys, almost every one of them is different from the other …" He said pouting, knowing he sounded childish but given that they might die today, he decided not to care.

"Oh Fitz I'm sorry …" She answered shifting her body to face him and tilting her head to the side as she looked at him fondly. "But actually I think they still make this one, I could get you another one …"

"But it won't be the same …" He replied, sadness lacing his voice a bit.

"I know" She said with a soft tone, knowing how sentimental he could get about the smallest things. "… then I'll get you a new one, to celebrate that time we survived a deadly toxin together!"

"I'm not a child Jemma, you don't have to buy me stuff to make me feel better!" He let out petulantly and it only made her grin as she got a little closer.

"But what if there's monkeys AND robots on this one Fitz?" She asked with a mock patronizing tone and he couldn't help the small smile that tucked at his lips.

"Fine but I'll also have to give you a new grown up cardigan then"

Fitz always remembered that day fondly. On the eve of their first day at Sci-Ops together, they'd both come home with a gift for each other, which in itself was kind of a nice story. But the funniest part was that they both chose to give one another an item of clothing that would supposedly make them look more grown up and actually used almost the exact same words on the card accompanying it. Also, the fact that, even though a tie and cardigan could be considered grown up items of clothing, she chose a monkey pattern and he chose a cute little bird pattern, showed that maybe they were still just as young as they looked to be.

"Oh but you don't have to Fitz, I'm not wearing it today, it's perfectly safe in my closet …"

"I know but I still want to …"

"Oh Fitz … Alright then, that'll be our new tradition." She said, turning back around to rest against the wall as a new silence settle between them. The more time passed without any of them expressing any symptom, the safer they should have felt but Fitz was getting more and more claustrophobic and he knew he would only feel completely relieved when their blood test results came back negative.

"Oh Fitz!" She suddenly exclaimed with a little too much enthusiasm. "With everything I … I forgot to ask why you were so excited to tell me about earlier?"

"Oh it's hu … it's nothing Jemma …" He replied, feeling a lot less enthusiastic about the whole thing now that the cause of his excitement might be the cause of his favorite person in the world's death. And all because he just couldn't follow basic safety protocols when he spent hours every week complaining about the new lab minions who broke them all the time.

"Fitz come on tell me, you sounded so happy!" She insisted with an encouraging smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

God, she was the best his Jemma. Despite all her reassurances, he could see she was just as worried as he was and she was still trying to distract him and keep his mind off his worries. A wave of affection and tenderness washed over him and since he couldn't hug her or even touch her hand like he wanted to, he gave her the brightest smile he could muster.

"It's my mouse hole it's been hu … it's been approved and sent to production …" He said shyly and her face lit up in delight.

"FITZ! That's fantastic!" She cried out.

"By Nick Fury himself…" He added, smiling a little more widely.

"WHAAAAT?" She exclaimed even louder and reached for his arms before thinking best of it and retreating as her hands were only an inch from his skin. "Sorry …"

"It's alright just keep your hands off me yeah?" He said, more as a teasing than anything else but that only reminded him of the possibility of what he'd done and what that could mean for himself and more importantly for Jemma. He'd been feeling like a lunatic these past few hours, going from euphoria to desperation and terrible guilt. "Wouldn't forgive myself if I contaminated you."

"Oh Fitz I'm sure we're both fine and they will come to release us any minute now …"

"Oh I don't know …"

"And then we'll have two things to celebrate tonight, we'll buy some beer and pizza and watch Doctor Who until we can't keep our eyes open!"

"I can't believe I was so stupid, I don't know what I would do without …"

"YOU'RE FREE" A loud and unexpressive voice announced through the speakers just above their heads, cutting off Fitz in his speech, and a second later they could hear everything unlocking around them and both set of doors opening. And even though the lab floor had a strictly controlled environment, he was pretty sure he could feel a light breeze coming in, bringing fresh air from the outside.

Jemma looked at him with a bright but, he could swear, slightly shit eating grin and was the first to stand up as Fitz seemed stuck to the ground by the incredible wave of relief that washed over him. The agent who came to deliver the good news told them that, just as Jemma suspected, the toxine had to be ingested and since they only had a bit of it on their skin and their blood tests came back negative, they were both safe to leave quarantine. Also, it turned out the toxin didn't have such an unknown and possible alien origin after all and was just an odd mix of several other very well known ones. Which Jemma could have told them in half the time it took them to realize it, Fitz thought, glancing sideways at his friend who looked a tiny bit disappointed that it was nothing special after all. Specialists were already working on a counter agent and as for knowing who created it, it all came down to basic police work and trying to find something to link all these victims together.

"You can go home now but you've earned yourself a nice little lab security protocol class with the newest employees next week, you'll be receiving an email during the week-end confirming the time and place." The agent said with what Fitz thought was a pleased little smirk that made him want to punch him in the face. But at this point, he just wanted the man to leave him alone with his best friend.

"What?" Jemma exclaimed loudly before Fitz had the time to say anything. "But that's ridiculous, I'm the one who implemented several new rules to make it even safer, surely …"

"Surely you're still the one who broke it today." Agent … something interrupted her. "And you're lucky you're agent Callahan's favorite children or it would have been a lot worse for you two." He added, raising a defiant eyebrow towards Jemma who seemed to shrink under his gaze. Of course, there was nothing Jemma Simmons hated more than breaking the rules and she knew very well that she had so she just gave him a small nod and a tight smile and the man finally left them alone.

"So …" She started. "Let's go get our stuff and …"

She was cut off by Fitz throwing himself at her and engulfing her in a fierce hug she reciprocated immediately.

"Fitz …" She breathed out with a little chuckle and a fondness in her voice that warmed him even more than her body heat after being in that terribly cold room for hours.

"I'm so happy you're alive Jemma, I'm so sorry for being so careless. I don't know what I would do without you …" He finally let out the words he'd been wanting to say for hours before he was interrupted again, his voice shaky as he was overwhelmed by the infinite love he felt for his best friend.

That fact alone wasn't a surprise. It had taken him only a few hours to be impressed by her during the the first class they had together at the Academy. It had taken him only a day and an evening of sharing food and stories about their childhood to befriend her and only the few following weeks for her to become his best friend and for him to know she'd always be an important part of his life. So of course he loved her. More than anything actually. What was a revelation the moment they were told they would both be fine was that she was not only the most important person in his life, but to him, she was more important than life itself. The news that he was also safe was a relief of course but it was a really good thing only because Jemma was as well. He just couldn't have lived, couldn't have carried on with his life if she didn't. He'd never felt that for anyone before and it was a little overwhelming.

"Oh Fitz …" She said once more, pulling back slightly to look at him with teary eyes that he knew matched his own. "I feel the same, you're my best friend in the world, you know that right?"

"Yeah …"

"And we always take care of each other and you know I don't blame you, right? We were both a little careless so let's agree we're both equally responsible and leave it at that, okay?" She added in a tone that was gentle but also a little bossy and he knew it was useless to argue.

"Okay" He said, his lips ticking up slightly and she beamed at him. And then she pushed up on her tiptoes, their height difference a little more evident when she was barefoot, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. The gesture, while not very common, wasn't exactly a rarity but for some reason, it still left him speechless and a little flustered for a moment. But if she noticed, she didn't say a thing and just laced her arm through his as they started walking, her mind already focused on their program for the evening and he had to admire how strong she was and how quickly she was able to bounce back and focus on the positive.

It's only later that day that Fitz realized what all of this meant to him. Although Jemma would deny it fiercely, once they'd had two beers and finished their pizza, it had taken her only half an hour to start dozing off as they watched TV in their old and ugly but super comfy couch. And only fifteen minutes later, she was sleeping peacefully with her head on his shoulder and holding on to his arm with a strength that was both impressive and adorable. He was looking down at where the changing light coming from the TV played on her beautiful face, her freckles much more visible without the makeup she wore during the day and highlighting how even more delicate her features had become as she grew older. He could feel the softness of her skin where her hands lay on his bare arm and she had the ghost of a smile on her pretty pink lips and she was just so … tempting. Fitz surprised himself by thinking how easy it would be to just shift his body a little bit, run his fingers across her cheek to wake her up, knowing she couldn't be sleeping too deeply already, and finally press his lips to hers when she would look up at him with that same tenderness he saw in her earlier and ...

Oh.

And that was then, with Jemma sleeping against his side, blissfully unaware of the whirlwind of confused feelings and meaningful memories turning around in his mind, that Fitz realized that, at some point during their friendship, he'd fallen deeply and irrevocably in love with his best friend.


	3. Chapter 3

_The third time, Jemma made another mistake but she also made something else very right._

-0-0-0-

"Oh crap ..." Fitz let out under his breath as he delicately closed the door behind him.

Jemma's coat and handbag were hanged on the coat rack by the door which meant Jemma was here, which meant that HE was most likely here as well since it wasn't even 9 PM and way too early to end a date. Fitz had hoped that she would either come home alone this time or just finish the night at his place. Or chose secret option number three and realize that Jake was just too tall and that his muscles took too much space in his body, clearly leaving him with only half a brain and that she'd be better off with an adorable reasonably sized Scot who could even sometimes outsmart her on certain topics. But … apparently not.

The months since Fitz had an epiphany about his best friend had been complicated to say the least. At least for him it was. Jemma seemed to remain blissfully unaware of his torments, attributing his lingering looks to his general awkwardness and fondly ruffling his hair for it, again, unaware of what it felt like for him. At first, he'd spent days wondering if he was really feeling was he thought he was feeling. And then he came to the conclusion that, of course, he was in love with her. Because who wouldn't fall in love with Jemma Simmons after spending the better part of five years by her side? Then he spent the following months wondering if he should do something about it. Their relationship was perfect as it was so why risk it? And it wasn't like she'd given him any sign that she had anything other than friendly feelings for him. But he soon remembered that he was never able to hide much from her, especially not something this big and honestly, he didn't really want to. Because even though the chances were slim, he didn't want to miss his shot at happiness with the love of his life.

Only, by the time he'd decided how he should tell her (at home over her favorite home cooked meal with her favorite wine the next time they would finally have a whole week-end to themselves), Jemma had gotten herself into a date with some meathead from Ops. He'd considered telling her before she went out that night but courage had failed him. And it's been three months by now and even though Jake clearly wasn't worth her time and attention, Jemma seemed to like him well enough.

"Jemma?" He called out quietly and considered going straight to his room when she didn't answer. But her room seemed perfectly quiet, no sound of talking or anything else and he had a feeling that something was wrong. So he walked closer to her room and called out her name a little louder.

"Oh for god's sake, come in, get your things and just GO AWAY!" She cried out and he frowned in confusion. She sounded quite mad at him. And what things was she talking about? He might have forgotten a few of his tools in her room after he'd fixed her AC but surely she couldn't be so mad about that especially considering that … well that he fixed her AC!

So something was definitely wrong then. He took the last few steps separating him from Jemma's bedroom and knocked softly before turning the doorknob and pushing it open.

"Hey Jemma, is everything alright? you sound like …OH NO NOT AGAIN!" He cried out, momentarily stunned by the sight in front of him.

Well, those were definitely not Doctor Who undies but they were definitely not boring. And this time he could say for sure that they fell under the lingerie category. Which he supposed was a good thing because at least it was giving him something to focus on other than the wonderfully freckled fleshy parts very poorly concealed by said, barely there, underwear.

"Fitz!" She shrieked as she looked up from where she was apparently looking into her drawers for something else to where over her underwear. Which made sense really, with the setting so high on her AC, he could see how cold she was and he knew how easily she could catch something. And that's when he realized that he wasn't usually able to notice how REALLY cold she was and that maybe he should turn around and let her slip into something less distracting before this mental image of her replaced every other one he had.

"FITZ! What are you doing here?"

"WHAT? You told me to come in!" He shouted at the wall, rolling his eyes at the big feeling of déjà vu and her own ridiculous question.

"Oh. Oh course. I'm so sorry Fitz, I didn't recognize your voice through the door I thought it was Jake and I … It's alright you can turn around now."

Slowly turning around, Fitz kept his eyes closed for another ten seconds just to be sure. Then he slowly opened them, keeping his gaze towards the floor, again, just in case. He wasn't sure he could survive the full blast of Jemma's nearly nakedness one more time. But as it was, she was now wearing her big fluffy robe and the most embarrassed smile he's ever seen and if it was possible, it made him love her even more.

"Hi …" She said with a small hand wave.

"Hi" He replied, thankful for the dimmed lighting of the room that probably made the blush on his cheeks and ears less obvious.

"I swear i'm not doing it on purpose" She said as way of an apology and he chuckled. Like that would bother him.

"That's alright, I've seen worse …" He replied with a small grin and then his eyes went wide as he realized that didn't sound really nice and quite the opposite of what he was thinking. Not that he could really tell her what he was thinking. "No no that's not what I meant … quite the opposite in fact. No wait … it's not that I haven't seen worse, of course I have because because you-you look hu really … nice?" He finished tentatively and she burst out laughing. He should have been a little annoyed that it was at his expense but she was so pretty when she laughed like that, her big smile lighting up her whole face, that it was hard not to smile back as well.

God, he really was a sap.

"Well, thank you … I guess …" She grinned.

"So hum … is there something wrong with Jake?" He asked, hoping to change the subject as quickly as possible. "I mean other than you know … the usual?" he added and she let out a humorless chuckle as she flopped down on the side of her bed.

"Oh no nothing new I guess …" She let out. "That's why I broke up with him …"

"Oh I'm so sorry Jemma …" he replied, quickly crossing the room to come sit next to her but still keeping a respectable distance. Somehow even after years of friendship and falling asleep on each other's shoulder or lap on the couch thousands of times, there was still something strange and intimidating about sitting next to Jemma on a bed. Especially when he knew for a fact what he was wearing under that big fluffy robe of hers.

"Fitz please" She admonished with that knowing look in her eyes.

"Okay fine … I'm not sorry that Jake is out of the picture but I'm sorry that whatever he did, he made you angry or sad because I hate seeing you like that …"

"I know … Oh Fitz you're just so …. aaaah" She sighed as she grabbed his arm and let her head fall on his shoulder. Whatever that meant it was probably a good thing so he let his own head fall on top of hers, enjoying the flowery smell of her freshly washed hair.

"So what did this giant idiot do?"

"Fiiiitz" She protested. "He's not that tall ..."

Fitz grinned but didn't say anything.

"Well hum, this past week has been a little tense because I told him I couldn't go to that wedding with him since it's the first week-end of july and that's ..."

"... when we go to the beach!"

"Yeah ..." She replied and even though he couldn't see her face at the moment, he could feel the way her smile must be mirroring his. "… but he insisted that we could go to the beach any other week-end so I had to explain to him that it's a tradition and he didn't take it so well but he seemed to have accepted it after all."

Their little tradition dated back to their first year at the Academy when they decided to go celebrate the end of the year together before they went their separate way and didn't see each other for two months. And even since they started at Sci-Ops and didn't have such long periods of vacations away from each other, they'd always stuck to that tradition. Wether they were swamped with work or the weather was terrible and boyfriend/girlfriend or not, they'd always gone to the beach together the first week-end of July and even though it made him feel quite guilty, it warmed his heart to know she fought for it with Jake.

"So I wanted to make something nice for him tonight so I invited him in for a nice bottle of wine and a home cooked meal … cooked by Mr Giovanni, shut up Fitz!" She corrected herself before Fitz even had the time to say something and he chuckled, patting her knee to soften the blow. Jemma was a talented young woman in many fields but cooking wasn't one of them.

"Anyway I had wine, pasta and tiramisu and had put on a nice dress for the occasion but we barely had one glass of …"

"Oh wow …" He said with a tone of mock offense.

"What?"

"Nothing" He said, taking his head off hers for a moment to glance down at her with a small grin. "I just wish you'd told me you were developing an invisible dress, it could have been helpful with the cloaking technology I'm working on …"

"Ugh Fitz!" She cried out, disentangling herself from him and swatting his arm.

"Sorry sorry … carry on!" He said as he pulled her back against him, his arm around her shoulder this time and his heart did a little flip in his chest at how she sighed contentedly when he kissed the top of her head.

"Obviously I was changing when you came into the room and I'll have you know my dress was absolutely lovely and ... anyway …' She cut herself off, taking a deep breath. "So we just barely had a glass of wine when he started talking about the bloody wedding again. He kept rambling on and on about how his family would ask why his girlfriend would chose to spend time with her friend rather than his boyfriend. Which honestly I couldn't care less. And then he said what he probably meant from the beginning, that if I loved him I should make him a priority and I … I told him that I didn't and wouldn't and well … there wasn't much more to say after that." She finished.

"Oh …" Was all Fitz could say at first because he felt at the same time guilty for being the reason of their break-up, flattered and deeply moved that she wouldn't hesitate to chose him over anyone else and, that's what surprised him the most, kind of mad at her for dating someone she didn't even love for months when she could have been with him. He knew it was ridiculous and that she had no way of knowing how he felt about her since he wasn't courageous enough to talk to her when he could have. But he'd never understand why someone as fantastic as Jemma would settle for someone as forgettable as Jake.

"Yeah …" She replied, chuckling nervously to hide her embarrassment. There were few things Jemma hated more than failure, even when it was at love and relationships. "With time I thought maybe I would but I-I was probably kidding myself"

"Well I'm sorry it didn't work out and I … I feel a little responsible-I mean …"

"Don't be Fitz! You're the most important person in my life, have been for the past five year, and if after only three months, he already had trouble accepting it, it would never have worked anyway." She said, looking up at him with an earnestness in her voice that warmed his heart.

"Oh Jemma … you know I feel the same right?"

And so much more.

"I know" She replied burying her head deeper into his chest and looping her arm around his chest in a sort of side hug that made him smile widely.

"Well he didn't deserve you anyway!"

"Fitz!" She said, chuckling fondly. "That's what you always say!"

"Yeah well, I was right, wasn't I? Or you'd still be with one of them! And, actually, I thought Justin was alright …" He said half-heartedly just for the sake of contradicting her.

"You only liked Justin because he liked your team and that's only because I told him which one you like."

"Jemma!" He cried out in outrage and she grinned.

"What? He was intimidated by our relationship and he wanted to get on your good side!"

"Jemma I can't believe you …"He started, shaking his head in disappointment before changing his mind. "Well actually that was kind of a smart move and it worked so ... I knew I had a reason to like him." Fitz admitted and she squeezed his side in response, making him squirm and squeak in quite an unmanly manner as she found a ticklish spot.

"But you were right that he was quite boring though …"

"Sooooo boring!" Fitz confirmed immediately, unable to say one more good thing about Jemma's terrible ex-boyfriends.

"And I have to admit that Jake wasn't the smartest of the bunch."

"Understatement of the century …"

"And Kyle was kind of sexist …" She added and he could hear her voice going down as the evidence of her terrible tastes in men started to pile up.

"Can't believe you didn't see it sooner …"

"And well of course, Milton was an asshole but we might have never met if he wasn't so …"

"Yeah probably the greatest accomplishment of his life!" Fitz confirmed as he glanced down to see her smiling back at him, that soft smile she had on her face after they spent a whole day together watching TV or strolling around the city and her heart looked close to bursting with fondness for him. It was on one of those days that he almost confessed his love for her once. But he convinced himself otherwise, telling himself that if she didn't feel the same, it would ruin the day and the nice memory for the both of them. He knew he'd been a coward back then and that now, it was dangerous to let himself bask in this easy heart-warming affection they were sharing but he couldn't stop himself from placing another kiss to her hairline. After all she needed comfort and that was what best friends were for.

"And you know I think you were even right about him having never seen a single episode of Doctor Who in his life. When I asked who his favorite Doctor was, he said the one with the red Converse and I'm pretty sure it's only because I had a poster in my room at the time!"

"Such a ridiculous cabbage headed arse!" Fitz exclaimed and she burst out laughing this time.

"Yeah you mentioned that a couple times!" She replied breathlessly. "But actually, now that I think about it, you've always been quite perceptive when it comes to the men I've dated."

Yay. What a totally useless and frustrating super power to have.

"You were completely right about Milton, I should have followed your opinion on the other ones." She sighed. "Hey maybe you should be the one to pick my next boyfriend!"

She said the words with a lightness and mischievousness in her voice that meant that she clearly said it as a joke, the kind of ridiculous declarations one says when they're a little depressed or drunk after a break up without really meaning it. And Fitz knew that of course. But he didn't know if it was the warmth of her body against his, the fondness in her eyes or simply the fact that she kind of asked him to tell her who he thought could make her happy, but the words flew out of his mouth before he really had the time to think about it.

"Well what about me then?"

"What?" She asked, her voice still a little breathless from laughing and visibly confused as she moved away from him to look him in the eyes properly.

"Never mind Jemma …" He replied, chastising himself for not following through now that he'd somehow had the courage the get the first words out.

"Fitz, what do you …"

"Nothing, it's just a silly joke. You know me I never stop …"

"Fitz!" She cut him off.

Of course she knew him better than that. She could see when it really was one of his silly jokes and when there was something more.

"Fitz, you're being serious, aren't you?" She asked softly before hesitantly putting her hand on his where it now rested on the bed between them.

He didn't dare look up because then she would know the truth with a complete certainty without him having to say a single word. Honestly, he didn't even understand how she didn't realize it before from the way he'd been looking at her for months. But wether she'd been oblivious or she just didn't really want to see it, there was no hiding it anymore.

"Yeah …" He simply let out, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"So does that mean that you …"

"Yeah, yeah 'course I do. Why wouldn't I?" He replied, chuckling humorlessly.

Of all the opportunities he's had to tell her, he couldn't believe he chose the worst possible one to do it.

"Fitz …" She said, her tone almost pleading. "Please look at me …"

And then she palmed his cheek, gently pulling his head up and the gesture was so soft that he just couldn't resist, even leaning into it a bit.

Sometimes they were able to communicate without saying a single word. People joked about it saying they were psychically linked but the truth was that by just looking into each other's eyes they could say a lot. Fitz wished it was one of these times because as he looked into her big hazel eyes at this precise moment, all he could see was the underlying fondness that was always here when she looked at him and a lot of other emotions he couldn't seem to decipher. It felt like she was studying his face, like she was suddenly discovering a new version of him or, most likely, thinking of the best way to let him down without breaking his heart too much. He didn't know if he could handle hearing the words and this silence was killing him so he just had to say something.

"It's alright Jemma, you don't have to … we can pretend I didn't say anything and …"

"Fitz no" She cut him off, her voice low and soft but there was something in it that brood no argument and compelled him to stop talking and listen. "I don't want to forget, I … that's-I didn't expect … but of course you're-you're … I should have ..."

She seemed to have an internal debate with herself and Fitz was about to apologize for choosing the worst possible moment, tell her that maybe he should leave her alone and let the bomb he just dropped sink in, but whatever word was about to actually come out of his mouth remained stuck in his throat when she turned around slightly and brought her other hand to his face.

"Fitz …" She whispered once more, her eyes getting misty with unshed tears, and then her lips were on his. They were soft and warm and Fitz was so mesmerized by the fact that they were moving against his that he almost didn't kiss her back. But then one of her hands slid to the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine, and he finally reacted. His lips danced across hers for a moment, parting the slightest bit to capture that full lower lip he's been thinking about way too much these past few months. And then she sighed, lacing both her hands behind his neck to pull him closer and Fitz was pretty sure he was dreaming again. And if this was a dream, he was going to enjoy it as much as he could before he woke up. He put his hands on her waist, pulling her even closer and she seemed to melt into him. The small contented noise she made then emboldened him and he deepened the kiss. Their tongues touched and danced and tangled together until air became a true necessity and Fitz reluctantly pulled back slowly. Jemma whimpered softly and immediately pulled him back for one last breathless kiss on the lips that left him giddy. She'd liked it. Jemma had just been kissing him and she liked it and she wanted more.

They were both panting when Fitz opened his eyes again. Her forehead rested against his and she was looking at him with a dazed smile that threatened to melt what was left of his heart after what he was pretty sure would remain the most amazing kiss of his lifetime.

"Jemma?" was all he was able to say and she smiled even wider.

"It all makes such perfect sense …" She said, matter-of-factly like she'd just made a breakthrough on one of her projects. "I always come back to you Fitz and I miss you terribly when we're apart, even for just a few days. I've never felt happier than when I'm with you, even when we're just working side by side in the lab, I can't believe I …"

"But what … do you mean …"

"Yeah I'm in love with you Fitz, of course I am …"

"Jemma …" He whispered against her lips once more and despite his disbelief, his lips broke into a smile so big it hurt his face.

"But I've had months to think this through and you've just been through a break-up. Did you even think of the possibility before? How can you be sure?"

Wait. Why was he questioning her when she just said she loved him? What was wrong with him?

"I suppose some part of me always knew Fitz …" She replied, her thumb grazing his lips in a tantalizing way that reduced him to silence once more and then she kissed him again, long and sweet and full of love.

"It's just …" He insisted. "I don't want you to rush into this because you're sad and then regret it tomorrow or in a week or …"

"I know and with anyone else, I would probably take a step back and a few weeks to think about it but … it's you Fitz, it's us. I guess my mind was just waiting for the idea to be said out loud and now I can't even imagine going back anymore, I cannot imagine not wanting this. Now that I know what it feels like to be held by you like this …" She trailed off as her forehead came to rest against his once more. "… and to be kissed like this … how could we go back?"

When their lips crashed together again, the kiss was something else entirely. It was an affirmation that the way they were linked through their brilliant mind expended to their physical self. Fitz was right all along, he thought, grinning against her lips. With him being just a little bit taller and bigger than she was, their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly, her hands were meant to be on his neck and in his hair, his to be on her hips and waist and their lips to be slotting against each other in this perfect ecstatic harmony.

"I wish we'd done that sooner …" She whispered against his lips as she pulled back. "Would have saved me a lot of time …"

"Jemma Simmons, always the practical one." Fitz grinned in response, his heart almost full to bursting with happiness as he kissed her again. She was right though, they should have done this a lot sooner.

"Fitz, how long have you known?" She asked, moving back to look him in the eyes better.

"Six months and thirteen days." He replied without thinking, only now realizing that he's been almost unconsciously counting the days.

"Fiiitz!" She cried out. "That's very specific … was it when …"

"The quarantine, yeah … I was scared of dying that day but I realized that I just couldn't imagine living if you didn't. You're … you're my everything Jemma. I love you so much sometimes I can't even understand how it's possible but I … that's just how I feel"

"Oh Fitz …" She exclaimed as she literally threw herself at him, almost making him lose balance with the fierceness of the way she hugged him then. "I'm so lucky to have you … what did I do to deserve you?" She asked against his neck, fondness lacing her voice.

"Well you came into my room wearing …"

"Fitz!"

"… wearing a really nice cardigan and offering junk food …" He corrected himself, grinning widely. "What were you thinking about?"

She only bit his neck in response.

They remained like that for a long time, just enjoying each other's warmth and letting the enormity of what was happening sink in. This, being together in each other's arms, it was safe and familiar and easy. They could remain like that all evening and it wouldn't be much more different than a lot of evenings spent together over the years. That was, until Jemma pressed a kiss to his neck. And then another, and then another as she moved towards his jaw.

"You always smell so nice …" She sighed and Fitz felt himself blush to the roots of his hair. He didn't think he'd ever be able to get used to Jemma saying these kinds of things but as long as she would keep doing what she was doing at the moment, he'd gladly spend the rest of his life being as red as a lobster. Turning around slightly, he captured her lips into another kiss, sweet and slow quickly turning into heated and urgent as she moaned into his mouth. And then she pushed him on his back, following immediately as she straddled his thighs, never once breaking the kiss, and this time he was pretty sure he died and went to heaven.

"Jemma …" He whimpered when she broke the kiss and sat back on his lap. "What are you …" He started but then she pulled on the belt of her robe and it fell open, both sides hanging lose along her sides and he lost the ability to speak. Giving him a wicked smile he was sure would be imprinted on his mind forever, she pushed the thing off her shoulders completely and bent forward to kiss him again, her lips torturously light on his.

"Making up for lost time …" She whispered against his lips. "And making things even between us …" She added as she went for the first button of his shirt.

He laughed in delight and happiness and disbelief as he pulled her closer. Fitz didn't know if he could ever make things even, if he could ever make her feel everything she was making him feel, but he was certainly going to try.

And that was then, between soft sighs, tender caresses and passionate cries of ecstasy that Fitz and Jemma became everything they were meant to be to each other.

-0-0-0-

Later, as they lay next to each other with matching smiles of contentment, Jemma looked up from where her head was safely tucked against her favorite spot in the crook of his neck.

"I can't believe you have TARDIS boxers. And that you're wearing them today of all days!" She said and he grinned.

"Well I needed something to seduce you with if my declaration of love didn't work …"

"You're such a nerd!" She teased, softening the blow with a kiss to his collarbone.

"Said the girl I found in my bed with sexy Who undies …"

"Hey at least I grew out of these!" She protested.

"Yeah I noticed …" He grinned even wider as he let a hand trail down her side, just barely grazing the side of her breast, amazed that he was even allowed to do that. He always thought Jemma had a beautiful skin, all pale, freckled and flawless. He never imagined it could be this soft and never thought his fingers would ever be able to make goosebumps form all over it.

"Fiiitz" She protested all while still shifting a bit to give his fingers more skin to caress. "What I meant to say was that now, I own super sophisticated lingerie that cost more than all the content of your wardrobe."

"Well as really nice as those were, I still love nerdy Who undies wearing Jemma as much as super fancy lingerie wearing Jemma. Or even lab coat wearing Jemma or unicorn onesie wearing Jemma because they're all absolutely magnificent."

When he thought about it, he was starting to wonder how he would ever get anything done in the lab now that he knew the delightful noises she made when he kissed that spot in the back her neck that was always accessible when she wore her hair in a ponytail.

A wide smile bloomed on her face before she moved up and pressed a soft lazy kiss to his lips, making him feel like he was finally home and like his heart would never stop beating out of his chest as long as she'd be there kissing him or even just lying by his side like this, all naked and warm and cuddly.

"I'm so glad Jake acted like an idiot tonight …" She whispered against his lips as they broke apart and he chuckled.

"Me too … but hum about that … I have a confession to make ..."

"What?" She asked, her voice deliciously sleepy.

"Agent Callahan came to talk to me this morning and he wants me to go to StarkCon in San Francisco."

"Oh that's amazing Fitz! Maybe you'll finally get to meet your celebrity crush!" She grinned.

"He's not my crush, it's just professional admiration and … anyway ..." He cut himself off and she grinned even wider. "It is really nice but it's in July, more specifically …"

"The first week-end of July!" She cried out. "Fitz!"

"I know! I know I should feel guilty for not telling you sooner today but considering …" He trailed off, pulling her closer against him.

"Yeah …" She conceded, still looking a little disappointed. He knew how important traditions were to her. Not things like Christmas or New Year's Eve that the whole world celebrates but traditions that were only meaningful for her and her loved ones like their week-end at the beach or their annual rewatch or Harry Potter during the winter holidays. So if he couldn't honor one tradition, he could at least offer something new to appeal to the more adventurous side of her.

"So how about we plan ourselves a nice little week-end at the beach for the following week-end and in the meantime I could try and convince Callahan to send you to the conference with me?"

She grinned wickedly before rolling over until she was lying on top of him, looking down at him with so much love and happiness and mirth that he thought he might blinded by so much light and beauty.

"Two week-ends away just the two of us. I'd say you were trying to seduce me Leopold Fitz!"

"And do you think that would work?" He asked, trying to sound casual even as he could feel the entire length of her naked warm body against his.

"I'd say your chances are pretty good."

And then she kissed him again and his arms went around her waist and talking became useless.

In the end, Stark convention was their first romantic week-end away as a couple, which they both agreed made sense since their relationship was born out of a shared love of science and all things nerdy. And Fitz learned that week-end that Jemma Simmons, the woman he thought liked rules more than life itself, could be a lot more adventurous when it came to having a secret relationship with her best friend and co-worker. He also learned that she was even more terrible at hiding a relationship than she was at basic lies, which meant that they had to have a very awkward conversation with agent Callahan the next Monday. Fortunately, they kind of were the older agent's favorites children and it was decided they would be allowed to keep working together since they were too good together to be separated.

They didn't make it to the beach the next week-end though, a new crisis at SHIELD requiring all of their brightest minds to work on a solution, but they didn't dwell on it too much. Because at the end of the summer, they spent a week in Glasgow and another one in Sheffield, deciding that they didn't need to wait any longer to make their relationship official to their family. And with their parents and Jemma's extended family constantly peppering them with questions about how they finally got together, never leaving them a moment of peace, it wasn't quite the romantic getaway Fitz had imagined when he daydreamed about how their traditional week-end at the beach could go if they ever became a couple. But they were creating new memories and new traditions and becoming the family they were always destined to be and it was completely fine by him.


	4. Chapter 4

**And here's the final chapter. It's a bit shorter than the others and kind of serves as an epilogue as well but it's really what I had planned from the beginning. I know I confused a few people when I made them get together in the last chapter considering the title, hopefully things will get clearer with this one!**

 **Thanks again to everyone who commented and liked this story, that's what makes me want to keep writing! I wish I could answer to every lovely comment I get but the FF system doesn't always make it possible!**

 _The fourth time wasn't really the fourth time or even the fifth or sixth, after all Fitz has stopped counting a long time ago, but it felt like the fourth time it really mattered._

-0-0-0-

"FITZ NO! I'm changing!" Jemma cried out as Fitz felt the door being pushed back against his face from the other side.

"Oh for god's sake, what now?" He grumbled, hopefully loud enough for her to hear through the heavy wood of the door. "You know I've seen you in your underwear quite a few times already?" He cried out, rolling his eyes as he wondered what crazy reason could have motivated her to keep him out of his … no their own bedroom.

"It's not that!" She cried out through the door and he swore he could hear her eyes rolling all the way to the back of her head as she did.

"You know I've also seen you naked right? Plenty of times ... from all angles … up close even, really close … I actually have pictures in case I might have forgotten what you …"

"FITZ!" She cut him off. "Just … can you just wait one more second? I'm almost done …"

"FINE!" He shouted at the door. "Can't believe that … three days I've been away and I'm getting locked out of my own bedroom … not even a small peck on the lips … risking my life ..." He kept grumbling until he finally heard the telltale sound of naked feet treading over the fluffy carpet and then on the hardwood floor as they became louder and obviously closer to the door.

"Alright come in!" She chirped happily as she finally pulled the door open to let him in.

"So what were you doing in here that I couldn't … oh …" He cut himself off, his jaw actually falling open at the sight of his girlfriend. Sometimes he still couldn't quite believe it was all real, that he was really this lucky. It's been almost two years and there was still a part of him who thought he'd hit his head on his way out of the lab that blessed day she'd broken up with Jake and that everything since then had been fantasies and dreams as he laid in a hospital bed in deep coma while Jemma carried on with her life and found herself someone who was truly worthy of her.

"So I take it you like them?" She asked with a seductive grin when he didn't say anything for what was probably an awkwardly long moment.

"Yeah yeah you could say that …" Fitz replied as he took the few steps separating them and pulled his gorgeous girlfriend into a fiery kiss. She pressed up on her tiptoes and looped her arms around his shoulder to steady herself as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss. As their lips danced across each other and their tongues twisted, Fitz couldn't stop his hands from roaming all over her body, first up over her almost naked back and into her hair before finally cupping her lace clad bottom, greatly enjoying the way she moaned and shivered at the feeling of his warm palms on her perpetually cold skin.

When the air became a necessity, they finally pulled apart but kept their forehead pressed together, their breath still mingling between them. She let out a pleased little hum and pushed back a little, forcing him to, reluctantly, take his hands off her butt.

"I love it that I can still have that effect on you after two years …" She said with an adoring smile as she brought her hand to his jaw, lightly scratching his slight stubble. He was still getting used to that too. He'd stopped shaving too closely a few months ago when he came home after a mission on the field sporting a three days scruff and she couldn't keep her hands off him all evening.

"You've been having that effect on me for a lot more than two years, I just didn't have the liberty to express it before. But what I love is that I can still have THAT effect on you …" He replied, lightly trailing his hand across her chest, between her lace clad breasts and down to her stomach, grinning at the trail of pebbled skin following his fingers. "So is that the only reason I get such a warm welcome home? Not that I'm complaining but …"

"Well first reason is that I've missed you …" She cut him off, pressing a soft peck to his lips. "… but actually this …" She said gesturing to her fancy lingerie ensemble. "… wasn't planned!"

"Oh really? Were you wearing it for someone else maybe?" He asked, mock jealous.

"No!" She replied, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "I was planning it for another time!" She added and he frowned in confusion before she gestured towards the very voluminous clothes cover hanging from their dressing room's door. But then his eyes went wide and a big grin threatened to split his face in two.

"Oh is that …"

"Yeah it is!" She grinned. "Just had the last few touch ups done so now it's all mine!"

"Well show me!" He declared as he started moving but she stopped him immediately, her grip firm on his forearm.

"NO!" She cried out, looking properly horrified that he'd even suggested it.

"Oh don't tell me you've gone all superstitious on me!" Fitz grumbled, raising a disbelieving eyebrow at her.

"Of course not!" She replied, rolling her eyes and swatting his chest for good measure. "it's just a tradition and I … I happen to quite like this one … I like the idea that our wedding day will be the first time you see me in it …" She said, her voice turning softer as a light blush tinted her cheeks.

That was quite an adorably romantic notion coming from her. Maybe he should rethink his vows altogether, he couldn't risk having her out-romance him like that.

"Oh … when you say it like that of course …" He replied, taking her hand and pulling it between them so that he could press soft kisses to her delicate fingers, imagining what it would be like in a few weeks when he'd get to see the ring he'd designed adorning it. "Still … that doesn't explain all this …" He added, letting his other hand trail down her side until it rester on her hip.

"Well I couldn't let you see the dress but since it took me so long to find the perfect pattern I didn't want to wait to show you these." She said with a mischievous smile as she took a few steps back, giving him the possibility to see the whole ensemble. As it was, he was so distracted by how the tiny pieces of clothes only seemed to make her most fleshy bits that much more tempting that he almost missed what was so special about the pattern.

"Oh!" He let out, realization dawning on his face. He knew that specific shade of blue reminded him of something and with those small pieces of white and black satin ribbon … "Jemma! I can't believe you found another Tardis!" He cried out and she giggled in delight, visibly pleased, and with good cause, of her effect.

"They're not making the ones I used to have anymore so I thought i'd find a new ensemble to wear under my dress. Of the french kind this time!" She replied, her wide grin illuminating her whole face.

"Did I tell you how much I love you and how completely perfect you are?" He asked, not resisting to pull her to him once more after missing her so much in the past few days. To be fair, he wasn't really good at resisting her much on any other day anyway.

"Not today no …" She grinned, looking up at him through her lashes before capturing his lips again in another languorous kiss, pressing her body flush to his and her tongue sliding along his bottom lip before demanding entrance. And with all the trouble she must have been through to find that ensemble, Fitz thought that the least thing he could do was showing her how much he appreciated it. One of his hands went back to her bum, pressing her even closer to him, as the other trailed up to see if the lace of her bra really was just as soft as the one barely covering her bum. He couldn't have her fiancé wearing something scratchy and uncomfortable on their wedding day after all.

"Hhhmmm …" They both moaned in synchrony as their lips parted for a moment.

"That's … one of the reasons … as well …" She whispered against his lips between kisses.

"Mmmh?"

"I thought it'd be … interesting … for you to know what was underneath my dress all day …" She replied, her tone mischievous and a little breathless as she whispered against where she was now peppering his neck with open mouth kisses.

"Mmmmh" He let out, his hands suddenly stopping still on her skin and she whimpered adorably.

"Fitz?" She asked. "Is there … FITZ!" She cut herself off, her voice going all squeaky as he pulled her back to him and managed to undo the clasp of her in one swift movement.

"I think I better take these off now …" Fitz replied to her silent question, gently trailing his fingers down her shoulders as he pushed the straps of her bra until it fell to the floor. He couldn't help the slight gasp that came out of him at the sight of her naked breast. She was right. After two years, he still wasn't used to it and he probably never would.

"… because I cannot possibly be thinking of what I'm about to do to you when we stand at the altar in front of all our friends and family …"

And as proud as Jemma was of finding the precious ensemble a few weeks ago, it soon lay forgotten on the ground as Fitz proceeded to prove to her just how lucky he felt to have her and that, although he loved all her lingerie and he had no doubt he'd love her dress, there was no outfit he liked better on her than her birthday suit.

-0-0-0-

Three weeks later, as Fitz teared up watching and listening to Jemma tearily recite her vows, he had to admit that for once in their relationship she did manage to out-romance him. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have found her when she declared in front of all their loved ones how important he'd been in her life from the moment they met and that she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with him, because that was exactly how he felt. But what neither of them knew though, was that when she said she was ready to start a family together, she was more ready than she could ever have imagined at the time. Because just there, underneath all these layers of gauzy white fabric, the youngest, tiniest, member of the whole new Fitzsimmons family, had already been growing for several weeks, waiting for the opportune time to let her presence be known to her parents.

-0-0-0-

Two weeks later, as they lay side by side on the white sand of their own private little beach in the Seychelles and Fitz had the audacity to point out that Jemma didn't quite fit in her new bikini top anymore (which definitely wasn't a complaint on his part) and Jemma replayed the past months in her mind, that memorable night they had a few weeks before their wedding easily came back to mind but as much as she racked her brains, she couldn't remember the last time she had her period. Being the geniuses they both were, the maths was done pretty quickly.

When she started eating crisps for breakfast each morning after that and Fitz gave her the biggest grins, Jemma declared petulantly that this baby was definitely half Fitz. But when her morning sickness graciously waited until their honeymoon was over to start, it was obvious that this baby was half Simmons as well. And what both of them knew for sure was that they already loved her with all their heart.

-0-0-0-

And that was the beginning of a new chapter for the Fitzsimmons family.


End file.
